The History of West Warwick Public Library
The Town of West Warwick, made up of nine textile mill villages along the Pawtuxet River, was once the industrial heart of Rhode Island. Today, it is a town of approximately 30,000 people and is the tenth largest community in Rhode Island.
Planning for the construction of a public library in West Warwick began in 1958 and was led by the West Warwick Jaycees and what would become the West Warwick Library Services Association, which was incorporated in 1961. In 1963, the Association began seeking funds for the construction of the library, which included town, state, and federal grants and aid. Support also came from the Junior Women’s Club, the P.T.A., the Hebrew Ladies' Auxiliary, the West Warwick Lions, and students from St. James School, who petitioned Governor Chaffe in support of the library.
In February 1963, $100,000 was bequeathed to the town by the late millionaire lumberman Robert H. Champlin for a memorial library in his name, and the search for an architect began in earnest. In February 1965, the first members of the Board of Trustees for the Robert H. Champlin Memorial Library were appointed. Construction on the library building began the following February, and in September, Paul Crane was hired as the first Director of the library.
Nearly a decade of hard work paid off on a snowy February day in 1967 when the Robert H. Champlin Memorial Library, boasting wall-to-wall carpeting, air conditioning, and a 40,000 book capacity, finally opened its doors to the public. But by the early 1980s it had become apparent that the busy library was overcrowded. Then Director Jean L. Nash began the process of renovating and building an addition to the library, the construction of which took place from 1990 to 1991. This more than doubled the size of the library, adding two floors and 15,000 square feet to the existing 10,000 square foot building.
West Warwick Public Library is now part of the Ocean State
Library Consortium, a statewide collaborative effort to improve library services to Rhode Island residents, led by the Office of Library and Information Services in Rhode Island. Since its opening on February 20, 1967, the West Warwick Public Library has served as a key resource and community hub for West Warwick’s children and families, students and teachers, lifelong learners, seniors, small business owners, recent immigrants, and others. West Warwick Public Library is honored to have been named as one of 15 finalists nationwide for the National Medal for Library and Information Services by the Institute of Museum and Library Services three years in a row in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
